Hey Gang:

I am putting together another direct mail archive of mail from this fall election, but unfortunately I am only getting state ballot proposition mail and a handful of pieces from Democrats.

My district in SF has no race for Supervisor, and most of the people I rely on for samples aren’t getting much either, so I could really use any mail you’ve seen you’d like to see get reviewed on the site.

Find it at

http://www.gregdewar…

and I will happily credit anyone who helps out!

(Did he learn a lesson in politics or policy? He attempts to obfusicate it, but he let down his guard here. He thinks the policies of the special were sound policy. They weren’t. At all. – promoted by SFBrianCL)

We just put out a press release about Arnold’s comments about the special election that he made during the debate.  It was the key point in the debate, making a clear contrast between the two candidates.  Here are some excerpts from the press release and a YouTube clip of Angelides and Schwarzenegger addressing the special election.

Sacramento – Today the Alliance for a Better California, the coalition of firefighters, teachers, cops and nurses that came together to overwhelmingly defeat Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s damaging Special Election agenda, called on the Governor to renounce the remarks he made during this weekend’s debate saying his policies attacking working families were “good ideas.”

“It’s clear that not only has Arnold Schwarzenegger learned nothing from his disastrous Special Election last year, but that he is arrogantly defying the will of California’s voters by saying those rejected, failed policies were good ideas,” said Lou Paulson, President of the California Professional Firefighters. “This Governor cannot be trusted – there is not a doubt in my mind that he will continue to attack our public education system and to eliminate secure retirement for public safety employees, including for the families of those killed in the line of duty.”

In addition, Schwarzenegger used much of the same campaign rhetoric during the debate that he used during the Special Election to sell his damaging initiatives. In particular, Prop. 76, dubbed by the Schwarzenegger campaign the “Live Within Our Means Act,” was resoundingly defeated by 25 points. Yet Schwarzenegger repeatedly used that phrase several times during this weekend’s debate to talk about current policies, setting off alarm bells to those concerned about further drastic cuts to education.

“There is no question that this Governor has broken his promises to California’s students time and again, especially when he tried to cut billions from our schools,” said Barbara E. Kerr, President of the California Teachers Association. “California voters soundly rejected his proposal to eliminate our minimum school funding guarantee and to give him the power to cut school budgets without asking anyone. So now, to call those good ideas shows he didn’t listen at all last year. I have serious concerns about which Arnold Schwarzenegger would show up after Election Day – the one who makes promises to our schools, or the one who repeatedly breaks them?”

Schwarzenegger also attacked Angelides by claiming he didn’t come out of his office during protests of the Davis Administration. But Governor Schwarzenegger never once came outside of his multi-million dollar fundraisers to acknowledge those who had come out to make their voices heard.

The failed agenda that Schwarzenegger appears to be embracing anew as “good ideas” included:

• Destroying the minimum school funding law approved by voters and permanently slashing school funding by $4 billion, approximately $600 per student.
• Giving the Governor the power to cut funding for education and public safety without consulting anyone.
• Punishing new teachers by extending their probation period and eliminating their right to a fair hearing.
• Denying public employees, including firefighters, teachers, cops and nurses, a voice in the political process.
• Allowing 3 retired judges to redraw district lines based on outdated census data.

( – promoted by SFBrianCL)

(cross-posted on dailykos)

Why is that every big primary day we hear about massive problems with electronic voting machine?  The easy answer is that the machines are crap and our electoral system is a mess.   This quote from President Jimmy Carter says it all:

Terry GROSS: One of the things you do with your Carter Center is to monitor elections around the world, and you’ve monitored over 50 elections around the world. We are facing a US presidential election here and I’m wondering if America was a foreign country and it had asked you to monitor the election, would it meet your criteria. Could you monitor the American elections if you were asked?

Mr. CARTER: No. We wouldn’t think of it. The American political system wouldn’t measure up to any sort of international standard for several reasons.

Luckily, here in California we have a real champion for election protection/reform in Debra Bowen.  She has a long history of fighting the good fight, going back to her freshman year in the Assembly, where she authored bills pushing for permanent absentee voting and campaign contribution limits.  This year she has authored 10 separate pieces of legislation, six of which are waiting Schwarzenegger’s signature.

The difference between Bowen and her oppenent McPherson could not be more stark.  Take for example Bowen’s bill SB 1062, which would expand the “Safe At Home” program to include sexual assault victims.  The program, as it currently stands, only allows domestic violence and stalking victims to enroll in this confidential address program, which allows people to receive mail at confidential address set up and maintained by the Secretary of State.  The program costs the state a couple hundred thousand dollars a year to maintain.

What was McPherson’s response to this expansion proposal?  How about demanding an additional $9.8 million to administrate the program.  Absolutely ridiculous.  This bill is sitting on the governor’s desk and Bowen is hopeful he will sign it.

Sen. Debra Bowen is one of those rare creatures in California Democratic politics, a person who inspires us.  I can’t tell you how many activists I have met who positively light up when her name is mentioned.  During the primary between her and  Deborah Ortiz no pollster seemed to be able to grasp the base of support that Bowen had.  I didn’t quite get it myself until I saw the two of them speak at the CA Democratic Convention this spring.  I have never seen so much cheering for a voter verified paper trail in my life.  Bowen of course thrashed Ortiz 60-40 in the primary.  Now she needs our help in the general.

Last night I had the pleasure of being on a blogger conference call with Debra.  She and the staff assured us that they plan on coming back to the kos and diaring again soon.  You can read her past diaries here.

Right now, what they could really use are a few good parties.  The campaign is hosting house parties on Thursday.  Click the graphic for more information.  Anyone hosting a party will have the opportunity to join Bowen on a conference call.  If you can’t make a party, you can always contribute on ActBlue.  I just chipped in another donation today on the Calitics ActBlue page.  The CRaP may well be pushng some cash into this race, given the wingnuttery of the majority of the Republican ticket.

Debra said last night she reads dkos and other blogs on a regular basis.  I can’t guarantee it, but am pretty damn certain she will read this post, so feel free to leave her messages in the comments section.  This will be a netroots fueled campaign.  Do what you can to help.  Pass the word on Debra to your social networks.  Signup for her email list.  Find out more about Sen. Bowen at her campaign site.

Tomorrow it will be five years ago that I was in Brussels, celebrating my 23rd birthday and my first day as an intern in the European Parliament (with my local conservative member, I have learned since ;)). Only one day later my birthday would forever be the day before 9/11.

Tomorrow I will turn 28 and not only has the pope just arrived in Germany to tell me why I live in sin and should not be allowed to marry. No, now ABC and Disney have to ruin my birthday as well. Thank you, but no thank you! Disney, I don’t like my birthday present. Yank the film already!

Right after 9/11 I have witnessed days, weeks and months of unprecedented solidarity with the United States only to watch it all being destroyed by the scandalous behaviour of the Bush administration. This is why I, a former exchange student from Germany to the US, want to see Democrats win in November. This is why I write here and why I started my blog Turn Tahoe Blue because it’s the only way I can help change the status quo.

As a foreign national living outside the United States I am not allowed to contribute to candidates (oh, how much money of my college student budget I would have given to all the wonderful candidates if I could). And since I am busy with my studies I can’t come over and volunteer either.

Instead I have started a blog covering the area around Lake Tahoe, where I was an exchange student more than ten years ago. I’m covering all campaigns relavent to both the California and Nevada site of Lake Tahoe – congressional, gubernatorial, state offices.

Just this week I published my first ever interview with a politician on Turn Tahoe Blue. Rob Haswell, candidate for the California Assembly in the 4th district talked with me about the Bush administration, public financing for electios, preserving Lake Tahoe, gay marriage and much more. Here are some quotes from the interview:

– My race is relevant in national terms because, in some ways, it’s a microcosm of what’s happening at the Federal and State level. In the 4th Assembly District, big-city mega developers wield all the political power. Developers have invested, literally millions of dollars in state and local campaigns here. My opponent alone has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from developers. This is an example of the undue influence the big corporate and special interests wield in today’s politics. It’s a big reason why we can’t have meaningful healthcare reform, while big pharmaceuticals and big insurance companies and big HMOs keep turning record profits while the rest of us pay more and get less, or don’t have health insurance at all.

  – Having grown up just a few miles from the lake, I can tell you how much I value it as a natural and recreational resource. We need to ensure that the decision making done in relationship to Lake Tahoe and its surrounding areas for the coming decades is in the service of the preservation of the lake, first and foremost. That means that development in the area must be done with great care and with a defined long-term vision for the lake.

  – I am a supporter of marriage equality. All people should be treated equally under the law.

  – Well, one of my top priorities is public financing for elections and that’s why I ardently support Proposition 89. Our election system is the most important facet of our democracy because it is the People’s voice. Currently, we have a system that is heavily favored to the wealthy and the powerful. We need to level the playing field so that regular people can once again run for office. I also believe ardently that we must take great lengths to secure the vote and to count the votes accurately and securely. I’m for open source voting machines that are auditable. To that end, I endorse Debra Bowen for Secretary of State of California. Debra has made election integrity one of her main issues as a state senator.

You can read the entire interview here.

As you can imagine, I am sick and tired of seeing this country which I has become my second home being torn apart by this administration.

It is sickening to now see ABC and Disney do to the memory of the victims of 9/11 what the Bush administration has done before them: fictionalizing this day and misusing it for their own purposes.

And it is saddening to see that members of the progressive blogosphere have to spend a lot of precious time fighting ABC and Disney and lose the time to fight for the candidates we believe in.

As I have said before, I am not allowed to contribute to candidates. If anyone of you would wanna give as little as $5 to one of the candidates I am fighting for at Turn Tahoe Blue (among them Jack Carter, Phil Angelides, Charlie Brown, Debra Bowen, Jill Derby and of course Rob Haswell) that would be the best birthday present anyone could give me this year. You can do so through the Turn Tahoe Blue ActBlue page.

Hey, Disney, I don’t like your birthday present! Yank it!

(Rob’s a good guy, and would make a great Assemblyman. – promoted by SFBrianCL)

This is the third part of my interview with Rob Haswell, CA Assembly candidate from the 4th district which stretches from the Sacramento suburbs to Lake Tahoe, for my local blog Turn Tahoe Blue.

You can read part I at Turn Tahoe Blue or the Calitics cross-post.

You can read part II at Turn Tahoe Blue or the Calitics cross-post.

In this part Rob talks about the most pressing issues for the 4th district, preserving Lake Tahoe and gay marriage.

Is there a difference in the concerns of voters in your district between the more rural areas and small towns and the suburbs of Sacramento? What are the most pressing issues for voters in the 4th Assembly District?

  I’m not sure the concerns are all that different. It seems most of the voters from the Sacramento valley towns of Antelope, and Rio Linda, to Roseville and Rocklin and up into the foothills of Sierra like Placerville and Auburn and into the Lake Tahoe Basin people are worried about their quality of life. They are concerned about traffic congestion, the encroachment of suburban sprawl, public safety, keeping the water and air clean enough to drink and breath, keeping quality public schools open and safe. I don’t think those issues are all that different from one community to another. Without question, the number one issue on people’s minds is over development. If Placer and El Dorado counties lose their status as destination spots, you can bet that’s going to negatively impact the economy.

What needs to be done to preserve Lake Tahoe in the future? What do you think you can do in the Assembly?

  First off, we need people in political office that will be advocates for Lake Tahoe. It’s highly problematic to elect officials, such as my opponent, who have taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from developers. Having grown up just a few miles from the lake, I can tell you how much I value it as a natural and recreational resource. We need to ensure that the decision making done in relationship to Lake Tahoe and its surrounding areas for the coming decades is in the service of the preservation of the lake, first and foremost. That means that development in the area must be done with great care and with a defined long-term vision for the lake.

What is your position on GLBT issues, specifically on the gay marriage vs. civil unions issue which has received some attention in California recently?

  I am a supporter of marriage equality. All people should be treated equally under the law.

Rob has also published his statement on the healthcare crisis in California over at the California Progress Report yesterday. Go over there and read it!

You can help Rob get elected. Click on the links below to get more information on Rob and check out what you can do:

Rob Haswell’s Campaign Website

Haswell Campaign Journal

Contribute to Rob Haswell!

Attention:

You can read the 4th and final part of this interview here!

Here is the second part of the interview Rob Haswell, Democratic candidate for Assembly District 4, has granted my local blog Turn Tahoe Blue. (You can read part I at Turn Tahoe Blue or my diary here at Calitics.)

In this part he talks about Charlie Brown, the Doolittle political machine and the importance of national issues and the disillusionment with Bush for this election.

What is your relationship with Charlie Brown, who’s running for Congress and who’s district over lapses with yours? Do you think a success by his campaign could be helpful to you since your opponent Ted Gaines has aligned himself closely to corrupt Congressman John Doolittle?

  I have a good relationship with Charlie. He’s stepped up to take on one heck of a challenge in John Doolittle and everyone in the Brown campaign is working extremely hard to defeat him. There is no question that my opponent, Ted Gaines, is a product of the Doolittle political machine. Ted was essentially handpicked for this seat by John Doolittle and we don’t hesitate in pointing that out to folks. If both campaigns do well it will signal that Doolittle’s reign is over. To turn your question around a little, I think our success will help Charlie’s campaign because the voters our campaign turns out for an assembly race have a high likelihood of voting for Charlie in an “up ballot” race. I can tell you one other thing: This October and November we will produce the best coordinated GOTV operation that this district has seen from Democrats in years.

Do you think the general disillusionment by voters with the Bush administration will help you win? Have national issues come up often when you talk to voters?

  National issues are always on everyone’s mind, but I have to say, they don’t come up in the context of my race all that often. My race is relevant in national terms because, in some ways, it’s a microcosm of what’s happening at the Federal and State level. In the 4th Assembly District, big-city mega developers wield all the political power. Developers have invested, literally millions of dollars in state and local campaigns here. My opponent alone has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from developers. This is an example of the undue influence the big corporate and special interests wield in today’s politics. It’s a big reason why we can’t have meaningful healthcare reform, while big pharmaceuticals and big insurance companies and big HMOs keep turning record profits while the rest of us pay more and get less, or don’t have health insurance at all. As far as disillusionment with the Bush administration goes, I think if Republicans are less inclined to go to the polls, while democrats and independents are more motivated to vote for change, that this could have a profound effect across the country and certainly in this district.

Towards the end of this part of the interview Rob mentioned health insurance. Just yesterday the Haswell campaign came out with a news release on this issue titled “Schwarzenegger Punts on Healthcare Reform – Governor Side with Failing Status Quo” (the following is from the news release, not part of the interview):

Democratic Candidate for State Assembly Rob Haswell took time off from his Whistle Stop tour to denounce Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s stand against universal healthcare. The State Legislature passed SB 840, which would establish a single-payer healthcare system that would offer health security for all Californians. Today, Schwarzenegger vowed to veto the bill.

“Time and again this governor has sided with large insurance companies and large corporate special interests, while turning away from California’s working poor, uninsured children and small business owners. Once again, the Governor is showing his true colors,” Haswell said.

Haswell derided Schwarzenegger’s claim that healthcare is a “top priority” and that he’d unveil his plan after November’s election. “Arnold’s political hero is Richard Nixon and it looks like he’s taking a page out of the Nixon playbook,” stated Haswell. “We’re still waiting for Nixon’s secret plan to end the Vietnam War, and I suspect we’ll be waiting just as long for Schwarzenegger’s secret healthcare plan. Meanwhile, the rest of us continue to pay more and get less while insurance companies make record profits.”

Recent estimates put the number of Californians living without insurance at between 6-7 million. SB 840 (Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica) would establish a single-payer system in which the state would take over the role that private insurance companies now play. Private medical groups and hospitals would continue to provide care as usual but would be paid through the state system.

You can do your part in helping Rob get elected to the Assembly by clicking on the following links:

Rob Haswell’s Campaign Website

Haswell Campaign Journal

Contribute to Rob Haswell!

Watch out for Part III tomorrow!

While this is a California site and has a great California focus, I believe we need to bring to the largest possible audience, with every blog at our disposal, the messages that Keith Olbermann is sending to the American People and to the Bush Administration.

I just saw on Pay per View, since I’ve given up on civilized behavior in movie theatres, ‘V for Vendetta’. On top of the first episode of Keith Olberaman speaking out it gave me the chills.

Now we know for a fact that this is a coordinated effort to place fear at the center for the final 61 days if our campaigns. We must show every volunteer these words so they can know if they have any doubt.

I have the full video at Political Dogfight and the first Olbermann video at Political Interviews. I hope the people who see these who don’t have as many years as I do realize the chances that Olbermann is taking by speaking for us.